I Hate Starbucks Coffee, But....

...I would love to be taken on a Starbucks Date.

You see, normally I do not like the taste of Starbucks coffee.  I find it just a bit strong and way too bitter for my liking.  I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I am totally satisfied with coffee from my local Dunkin' Donuts.  Every few weeks I do a drive thru, pick up a pound or two or four, and that just keeps me all hunky dory.  However, I did enjoy a pound of Blue Mountain coffee we brought along home with us this summer from Jamaica.  In overall taste it fell somewhere on the spectrum between Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks.

Right now Starbucks is featuring some pretty spectacular holiday drinks, though.  By the way, I am not being paid to endorse Starbucks in any way, it's just that right now my brain seems to be charging down this particularly coffee fixated route.

The Starbucks beverage that I am so obsessed with right now is the Peppermint Mocha.  I.  Can.  Not.  Stop.  Thinking.  About.  It.

Just look at it!  I cannot have one of these soon enough.  In fact, I may die if I don't get one, yesterday.

Here are the stats:

   Calories: 410
   Carbs: 63g
   Sodium:  0 (does that balance out the others?)
   Topping:  dark chocolate

There.  Dark chocolate is healthy, right?  It's settled then - I should definitely find one of these beverages.

Here's another one, the Caramel Brulee Latte:

Calories:  430
Fat:  13g
Carbs:  69g
Protein:  11g

Protein is good, right?  So this one is healthy too.  Of note - the first mention of creme brulee dates back to 1691.  So, if you are a history buff, perhaps this is the beverage for you.

So let's see.  What else is special right now in this magical place:

How about a Gingerbread Latte:

Calories:  320
Fat:  13g
Carbs:  40g

Comparing the numbers of the Gingerbread Latte with the first two, one could convince oneself that this is the Starbucks "skinnygirl" beverage.  Ok, I'm convinced.  By the way, this beverage is sprinkled with nutmeg, and is described by the Starbucks folks as "light and spicy."

One last beverage for you to drool over, before you go racing for your car keys and wallet, is the famous Eggnog Latte:

Calories:  460
Fat:  21g
Carbs:  53g

According to Starbucks, "whether winter is snowy, rainy, or just plain cold, our classic latte has been keeping fans warm since 1986."

I think I need to get in on that tradition...

So husband/lover/best friend, if you're reading this, I am making a downright obvious request that I don't know how you could ignore helpful suggestion to take me on a Starbucks run.

Mmmmmmm, coffeeeeeee.......